Virtual Hugs
WOW! A lot has happened since Night to Shine! One more thing to be grateful for in this season - Night to Shine was before COVID-19!
“How’s Cory doing?” is the most frequently asked question we receive. I’m delighted to say that he is doing very well. He misses going to the elementary school and seeing the kids but he’s keeping busy with online workouts, learning to play new games, puzzles, audio books and work. Thank you God he gets to continue working!
When this all started, we were pretty nervous about whether or not he would be able to give up hugging people. ‘Cory hugs’ are a thing. He is known for giving hugs where you know he means it. So when social distancing began, we explained to him that for a while, he would only be able to hug Mom and Dad. People are getting sick because germs are spreading and if he hugs someone, he could make them sick or he could get sick. If he hugs people, Hy-Vee will probably ask him to stay home until this is over for his safety and for the safety of the other workers and customers. We trained his caregivers on the new protocol - to remind him before going anywhere (that’s when we could still go places) and most especially work, “Remember, we’re only hugging Mom and Dad right now because we want to make sure everyone stays healthy.” If he goes in for a hug, jump between him and give him the reminder again. Once again Cory surprises us and he gets it right away. After just a couple of reminders, he starts offering his elbow and eventually, he gives that up too and seems content to just offer a big “Hello!” and “How are you today?” When I get home from work that first day, instead of getting a hug like I usually do, Cory offers me his elbow. A giggle escapes as I grab him for a hug. “I LOVE that you just did that but Mom and Dad still get hugs!”
Mike gets an idea…
Ever the idea guy, Mike thinks we should order purple bracelets to offer to people as Cory hugs until he can hug them again.
We put a note with them
and stick them in a small bag. Cory and I deliver them around town. Taping them to peoples’ doors, we ring the doorbell and run back to the car.
It’s a beautiful day so we catch some people in their yards or driveways but we practice social distancing.
We mail some to our friends who aren’t within delivery distance.
The texts start coming in…
…and pictures
Once again, God’s economy shines through. We thought it would be a blessing for people to receive these little virtual hugs. By all accounts, they did AND we ended up being blessed in return through the texts and pictures.
If you’re a friend of Cory’s and we missed you, please accept our most sincere apologies. We honestly tried but Dallas county no longer lets you look up addresses by name and some postmasters are just downright grumpy (we’ve gotten one bracelet back twice with no explanation - sorry Emma ;0). If you want a bracelet or know someone who would appreciate one, email dawn@dawnmschneider.com. Provide the name, address and how many and we’ll get them in the mail until they run out. In the meantime, stay safe and well.